The Strategic Importance of Eflak in Ottoman Era

Balkans and its vicinity had been a stage for the migration activity of various hordes. In Ancient Age Thracians, Illyrians, Brigidians, Edones, Paionians, Pelagonians, Dorians, Vandals, Vikings, Goths and Romans settled the Balkans, reigned and exhibited influence in the area. Roman Empire attempted to cross over to Balkans via Adriatic from II Century B.C. onwards. They dominated the Western regions of Balkans in the time of Julius Caesar and reigned for 400 years. Later Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Cumans and Pechenegs arrived at the Balkans. Hun Turks who had reached to the walls of İstanbul under the command of Attila, took their place in Byzantine history. Attila attacked the Byzantine Balkans and seized all the lands to Macedonia, Moran Peninsula and many important cities of Balkans. Among those there were Sirmium (Sremska Mitrovica), Singidinum (Belgrade), Naissus (Nis), Serdika (Sofia) ve Scupi (Skopje). Attila advanced to catholic Rome and choosing not to destroy it, he instead extracted tribute for it was a center of civilization. After that he retreated to north.
Slavs from the V century A.D. onwards entered to Roman provinces of Pannonia and Dacia. After the death of Hun ruler Attila in 453 they settled to the South Carpathians. Beginning from VI Century A.D. they raided to the Byzantine Balkan lands. They joined the Avar army in the siege of İstanbul in 626. The Slav settlement in Balkans completed in VII Century A.D.
Eflak region had close ties with the northern Black Sea area stretching to the Volga in the east. Southern steppes of Russia starting from Dniepr ending in the eastern Volga was called as “Deşt-i Kıpçak”(Kipchak Steppe) by the Arab and Persian sources. However the name Kipchak was neither uttered by Russian chronicles nor Byzantine sources. Instaed Russian chronicles used “Polovcı” and Byzantine sources employed the name “Kuman”. The lands stretching to Dniepr in southeastern Europe, Crimea in the south, Middle Volga Basin to the Bulgar territory in the northwest and lower Volga in the southeast were the boundaries of the Kipchak lands in Europe.
Lower Volga basin, Don, Crimea and parts of Dniepr basin, Eflak and Bulgar territory had rich agricultural resources.
Volga basin and nomadic Kuman steppes were involved in incessant trade with the Russian principalities in the Diepr and Oka basin. The Steppes and the Lower Volga basin was supplying the wheat and the linen which were much coveted by the Caucasian, Middle Asian and the Persian markets from the Bulgars, Ryazan and Dniepr lands. The markets of Derbend were reknown as the commercial center of the slaves from Eastern Europe and the Russian linen by the X Century A.D in Khazarian era according to the Arabian and Persian geographers.
The story of the continues raids of the nomadic Cumans into the Russian lands takes place in the Russian chronicles (Accounts of Lavrentius and İpatius). (1093) “Cumans having done many raids has returned back to the lands of the Torks. The city people suffered from starving capitulated. Cumans set fire on the city and shared the inhabitants.”
All along the 13 Century A.D. Mongol influence was observed from Eflak to Volga. Mongols invaded the Inner Asia in less than three years (1219-1221) turned their attention to the northern Black Sea wherein a branch of Silk Road passed through.
Mongols averted the Kipchak-Alan alliance with various promises. They first attacked the Alans and defeated them. After that they broke their promise and delivered an attack to the Kipchaks. Routed Kipchaks left their lands and retreated to their kin living in between the Volga and Dniepr. Pursuing Mongols reaches Crimea and captured Sudak. Mongols by dominating the Deşt-i Kıpçak not only crushed the Cumans but also stroke a heavy blow to the commerce of Southeast Europe temporarily.
Mongols led by Batu, son of Jochi, invaded the Southeast Europe in 1236. By capturing Kiev in 1240 they were able to open the roads to the west. In 1242 Batu’s men laid waist Polonia, Hungary and Dalmatia. Batu returned to Deşt-i Kıpçak in 1242-1243.
The lands east of Dniepr, Crimea, Bulgar territory, Middle and Lower Volga, southern Urals, Caucasia to Derbend, northern Khwarezm, lower Oxus basin, steppes in between the Aral Lake and Sarısu river were all parts of the Golden Horde up to XIV Century A.D.
However Timur put an end to Golden Horde. In the April of 1395 two armies clashed near a river and Tokhtamysh fled. After Timur’s winter expedition of 1395 against Astrakhan and Sarai Berke, Golden Horde had never fully recovered.
The victory of Timur over Tokhtamysh in 1395, the destruction of Astrakhan and Sarai Berke was an important event in the history of Inner Asia, Southeastern Europe and Russia. .
The settlement of the Turks in the Balkans harkes back to 1260s. Some thirty-fourty Turcoman tents together with Sarı Saltuk Baba and İzzetin Keykavus fleeing from the Mongols took refuge in Byzantium. The Emperor settled them in Northern Dobruja. Even some legends formed over the figure of Baba Saltuk as a Turkish saint. Later upon Cem Sultan’s order that epic legend of Rumeli Turks was put together under the name of Saltuknâme by Ebu’l-Hayr Rumî.

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